ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING

ERP(ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING)

Scope:

ENTERPRISE Resource Planning, or ERP for short, denotes a software application that allows an organisation (or enterprise) to effectively and efficiently manage its resources. The resource could be manpower, raw material, vehicles, equipment and finances to name a few. Some leading software solution providers have developed ERP packages, which now form the backbone of several large organisations. ERP packages comprise several modules that can be used either in a stand-alone mode or in conjunction with one or more of the other modules. Oracle 11i, SAP, J D Edwards and People-soft are some of the popular ERP applications. These packages have found ready acceptance amongst several large and medium enterprises, and in return have helped the organisations achieve an optimal level of performance in their respective areas.

Demand for these applications is increasing by the day, primarily because of the huge potential they hold out for users. Such an exponential growth has created job opportunities for professionals opting for a career in ERP Package implementation and maintenance.

The ERP scenario primarily offers two types of job options -- that of the Functional Consultant and the Technical Consultant. There would also be other parallel openings in the fields of database administration, systems administration, software testing and network administration. Barring the first two, all the other jobs are more generic in nature and pertain to the software field as a whole.

Functional Consultant: These professionals require a fair understanding of and experience in a particular physical process. For example, an ERP package implementation in a pharmaceutical company would require functional consultants experienced in finance, HR, pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, procurement processes, inventory management, customer relationship, supply chain management, etc.

The functional consultant would thus be a person who analyses the business process of an organisation and designs the process flow of a particular business area.

A functional consultant should ideally be an MBA in the business area he is functioning in; and should have undergone a training session in the ERP, which he is implementing. Solution providers hold training sessions in their respective areas. For example, SAP conducts training modules for functional consultants in all the different business areas involved in a programme. These courses are, however, costly. A minimum of two to three years' experience in the relevant functional area is mandatory. As for monetary benefits, pay scales start from about Rs.12,000+ per month.

Senior consultants may also be employed as architects to design and implement the entire ERP package for an organisation. Pay scales for seniors are generally very high, ranging between 500,000 and a million rupees per annum.

Technical Consultant: Technical consultants basically are software developers or IT professionals. Their task involves development of forms and reports based on inputs provided by a functional consultant. These professionals need to code the business requirements into the software and integrate them to form a contiguous package.

Typically, you should be a graduate in computer sciences to qualify for the position of a technical consultant. You should also have taken part in a training programme conducted by the respective ERP developer. Experience is not an issue at the entry level. However, senior developers and system integrators need to possess at least 5 to 7 years of experience in development. Pay scales vary from about 10,000 rupees per month at the entry stage to 30,000 rupees at the senior level.

A very senior IT professional may qualify as an architect to work along with a functional consultant in designing and implementing the application.

Many job opportunities also exist in the US and other developed countries, where there is a high demand for experienced ERP professionals

Skills:

Broadly speaking the soft skills and attributes required of the ERP professional will vary significantly depending on the business sector and the type of client.

Soft skills & attributes required of the ERP professional should also include:

For the Small to Medium Business Sector 
a) the ability work in small teams with greater responsibility towards the project success 
b) the ability manage a large portfolio of customers at any given time 
c) the ability to deal with clients who are much less systems /IT savvy 
d) ability to operate under strict budgetary constraints 
e) the ability to deal with staff/business owners, who have less time for the project but are more demanding 

For The Corporate Sector:
a) ability to work in large structured teams, comprising of very many specialists
b)ability to focus on one or two large projects/bids until completion
c) ability to work to strict deadlines 
d) ability to operate in an environment where one may have very little influence over the direction of the project
e)ability to deal with higher levels of organisational politics amongst business users.

References:

wikipedia

Softwares,planning,Vendors

SAP

Others

Challenges:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is the most challenging issue for the companies. It takes a lot of time and resources at the time of implementation. The company owners need to keep all the challenges in mind and make all the resources available for successful implementation. This article briefs you on some of the challenging issues at the time of ERP implementation.

ERP implementation needs certain or specified pre assumed resources to carry on the work. If the customer doesn't get all these resources in place, it takes a lot of time to implement a huge application like ERP. The customer should ask vendor about the resources he needs to keep in place to implement the application successfully. It might be the manpower, hardware system requirements or any other related issues.

There is a lot of coordination required between the core enterprise resource planning teams form both the vendor as well as customer side to execute the project. It is all about the communication between the functional consultants and the ERP project manager of the customer. If the communication is not well streamlined between both the teams, it is very difficult to streamline the business processes. The business owners must ensure the proper communication between both the teams to execute the project successfully.

Most of the enterprise resource planning implementations come to impasse because of the lack of support from the top management of the customer. The top management has to support the implementer by giving the required resources and managing the core ERP team. After all, it is the decision of the top management to have an ERP system but at the time of implementation they feel so lethargic to arrange the required tools for the implementation. This is what the major challenge normally faces at the time of implementation.

ERP implementation is said to be the most challenging task for the project managers. Unless, there is a strong and experienced project manager, the success rate of ERP implementation diminishes. Getting the right project manager who can coordinate with the implementation service provider would be the challenging task. If the business owner ropes in the right project manager, the implementation process would go without many hassles.

Certification:

PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Certifications:

Oracle Education now offers four PeopleSoft Certifications. They are:

- PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Financial Management, General Ledger Consultant Certified Expert
- PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Human Capital Management, Human Resources Consultant Certified Expert
- PeopleTools Developer Certified Expert
- PeopleTools Advanced Developer Certified Expert(you must obtain the PeopleTools Developer Certified Expert certification first)

 Each certification requires one exam. If you are already a PeopleSoft Certified Developer you will have to take the exam 1Z0-241 to upgrade to a PeopleTools Developer Certified Expert.

Each exam costs US $195.
Oracle offers training classes and in some cases, self study courses for each of these exams. Prices vary so check the website.

CIERP - Certified Implementer of Enterprise Resource Planning:

You must pass one 4 hour exam.
Although previous experience is not required, it is recommended that a candidate have some amount of experience or education in ERP practices.

According to CIBRES, "The cost of the program including the exam ranges from $325 to $1000+ depending on the method of study. Individuals can study at home through the use of self study materials or attend the more expensive seminars that are held regulary in different locations around the USA."

CNERPS - Certified Novice of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems:

 This is an entry-level ERP certification that requires only one exam which can be taken online. It is ideal for candidates looking for a jumping point into ERP or working towards completion of the CIERP certification.

 One online exam is required. There are no prerequisites.